UN Gang vs Red Scorpions: Inside BC’s Deadliest Gang War
- staysafevancouver
- Aug 8
- 4 min read
Not all gangs are built from the same cloth. Some crews stay quiet, hiding in shadows, happy with scraps. Others go to war living loud, ruthless, dominating their territory through force and fear.
The United Nations Gang and the Red Scorpions made violence their brand. They hunted each other, fought battles in streets, clubs and parking lots, and weren't afraid to leave bodies behind.
You want real insight into BC’s gang wars? Then buckle up. No matter how little you know right now, by the end of this, you'll understand exactly why the UN Gang vs Red Scorpions conflict pushed Vancouver to the brink.
Origin of the Rivalry: How the UN Gang vs Red Scorpions War Began
To understand the violent clash between the UN Gang and Red Scorpions, you need to go back to the early 2000s. The friction started small—local nightclub fights and street-level drug disputes—but escalated quickly and relentlessly.
On December 22, 2002, tensions exploded at the Luxor nightclub (formerly Animals nightclub) in Abbotsford, BC. Anton Hooites-Meursing, a Red Scorpions member, confronted brothers BonLeuth and Souskavath Thiphavong from the UN Gang.
A heated exchange erupted into violence, with both sides wielding broken bottles as weapons. The fight spilled into the parking lot, where Hooites-Meursing stabbed both Thiphavong brothers. BonLeuth later died in hospital from his injuries.
In retaliation, the UN Gang murdered Red Scorpion member Edward "Skeeter" Russell in January 2003. Shortly after, an audio recording surfaced of UN Gang member Gupreet "Bobby" Rehal laughing about Russell’s death, marking Rehal as the prime target for retaliation.
On March 13, 2003, Red Scorpions exacted revenge.
They tracked down 19-year-old Rehal at his family home on Saturnia Crescent in Abbotsford. When Rehal opened the door, a Red Scorpions shooter fired directly into his face, leaving him mortally wounded. He died in hospital the following day.
By 2006, the conflict intensified after the Bacon brothers (Jamie, Jonathan, and Jarrod) left the UN Gang’s orbit and joined the Red Scorpions.
Their defection triggered open warfare, turning a local feud into a full-scale gang war that would ultimately result in dozens of murders throughout the Lower Mainland.
Police Crackdown: Arrests, Trials & the Aftermath
As gang violence escalated dramatically between the UN Gang and the Red Scorpions through 2008 and 2009, law enforcement intensified its response, systematically dismantling both gangs' leadership structures.
In March 2009, police arrested several prominent UN Gang members, notably Barzan Tilli-Choli, Aram Ali, Nicola Cotrell, and Sarah Trebble, primarily for their roles in the February 15, 2009 murder of Fraser Sunderland and related acts of gang violence.
Tilli-Choli pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in 2013. After serving part of his Canadian prison sentence, he was deported to Iraq's Kurdistan region on January 18, 2017.
The Red Scorpions faced increased scrutiny, particularly after the Surrey Six massacre on October 19, 2007. While not directly linked to the immediate escalation in 2008–2009, the massacre intensified the police response to gang violence in British Columbia.
Red Scorpions members Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston were ultimately convicted of six counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Jamie Bacon, initially facing murder charges, accepted a plea deal in 2020, pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in relation to the Surrey Six killings and receiving an 18-year sentence.
On May 17, 2008, Clayton Roueche, founder and leader of the UN Gang, was arrested in the United States while traveling through Texas. He faced serious charges of drug trafficking, conspiracy, and money laundering. After being extradited, Roueche was sentenced in December 2009 to 30 years in a U.S. federal prison.
These decisive arrests weakened both gangs significantly. With their core leadership either imprisoned, deported, or deceased, the resulting instability indirectly strengthened rival groups, notably the Independent Soldiers and Hells Angels.
Long-term Impact & the Changing Gang Landscape
The dismantling of the UN Gang and the Red Scorpions’ leadership between 2008 and 2010 created a weakened state of both gangs and opened opportunities for rival criminal groups to assert control.
The Hells Angels, already influential in BC’s organized crime scene, solidified their position further. Through alliances with emerging factions like the Independent Soldiers and later the Wolfpack Alliance, they expanded their influence over the province’s lucrative drug markets.
The UN Gang tried to regroup under various lower-ranking members but struggled to regain their previous prominence. Likewise, the Red Scorpions splintered into smaller cells, maintaining their presence but lacking unified direction.
One notable outcome was the rise of the Wolfpack Alliance in the early 2010s, which included former UN and Red Scorpions members, along with figures linked closely to the Hells Angels.
This group became responsible for renewed violence in the Lower Mainland and internationally, notably involving prominent figures like Larry Amero and Rabih Alkhalil.
Want to learn more? Explore our entire BC Gangsters list here.
Otherwise, jump to the gang of your liking here:
BC Gangsters List: